It's an immense and growing category, accounting for around one fifth of all spirits drunk globally. The vodka world - ever more crowded, with fierce battles for market share - is becoming increasingly tough . Never short on innovation, brand owners, producers and distributors are having to fight harder to maintain and grow their chunk of business, and this typically translates into ever more off-beat and original ways to stimulate interest in brands.

For the biggest names, this can mean huge global spends. But for smaller, niche and self-styled super- and ultra-premium products, clever use of technology to enhance and spread the word about music and lifestyle tie-ins, along with innovative twists to the range, are typical of the action taken. A dazzling array of designers, fashion icons, artists, socialites, charity tie-ins and now almost old-fashioned seeming sessions of mixological skills maintain this category's reputation as one of the most vibrant areas of life in terms of the marketing of alcoholic drinks.